Other Reviews

The refusal to adhere to the one-speed-fits-all style of song writing is demonstrated in "October Insight", which features changing tempos. When one leans towards the lighter side of metal, as I do, there are inevitably going to be parts of the song I prefer over others. Past the two-minute mark in "Sweetness Dies" we are treated to a Porcupine Tree-esque festival of FX-driven guitars. Sadly the gravelly vocals mar the beauty. Sometimes the grit in an oyster really is just grit.

Once again around the two-minute mark "Heart of the Dead" impresses, but the heavy riffing that follows is bludgeoning rather than invigorating. "Floating" shows the band's fine grasp of dynamics. The rest of the album passes in a similar manner until we get to the highlight "Dear Sun". It is also the least representative song on the album, which tells you something about my relationship with October Tide. It's a gentle, acoustic guitar driven elegy. It's also entirely instrumental. Go figure.

If you're a fan of Katatonia then the presence of two members will entice you towards this album. For me it is a good, but largely forgettable, release. The songs don't echo in your head once the CD finishes. On the other hand if you want a slab of metal to take you away from everyday life now might be the time to let yourself get swept away by the October Tide...

Second song "Unplug Your Wires..." offers more of the same. Yes folks, this is emo all right. The band may disagree, but there isn't anything particularly hardcore or 'post'-hardcore about them (aside from a bit of shouting here and there)- lucky for them in my view as their singer can actually sing passably well, and the band have ability.

"Lights Across the Water" is a tad more atmospheric, and the fourth, "What's All the Commotion?" is a surprise - an acoustic ballad. The vocals probably don't work quite as well on this track but their deviation from a well-trodden path is welcome. They revert to type for the last two tracks, but the guitar work is good and melodic.

The music isn't everyone's cup of tea, particularly on the first listen, but there is some potential there. Unfortunately for them there's a lot of music like this around, and has been for a fair number of years. Whether or not they can stand out of the crowd remains to be seen. For its kind, however, not a bad effort at all.

However, overall "The Phantom Lodge" is a fairly sizeable improvement over its predecessor. That's not to say it's great, or even that good - just considerably better. There are riffs - good ones, which make you sit up and take notice, even on the first track. The production is better. The song titles are overly pretentious rather than utterly silly (although they still don't seem entirely serious - actually that's probably a good thing). There is diversity in the mire.

Occasionally the listener is reminded that their main songwriter is also in Katatonia- with startlingly good keyboard passages (and sometimes even some flutes) and a welcome variation in pace.

That said, there is still a lot of biscuit-tin-and-terrier black metal going on here, and occasionally the combination of this with keyboard arrangements makes it sound... yes, a little Cradle of Filth, which gets the 'off finger' twitching to be used. However as I say it's a big improvement on their first album, with more diverse influences and interesting arrangements (perhaps some Katatonia unconsciously creeping in) and a hint that perhaps the third album may be better yet.

"Beautiful One" makes me swoon, in the sense of feeling ecstatic rather than faint. There's a languid almost-trip hop beat, while the song ebbs and flows like the ocean. There may not be the metal guitars that featured on classic Gathering albums, but this song matches the emotional intensity of those releases. It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine this song to be about Anneke's son, though maybe that's my interpretation because I'm a parent too and having children changes the way you think about such things. There's an edgy paranoia to "Witnesses" in which Anneke recoils at the horrors of the modern world. I prefer to think about the more mythical side of existence when I listen to her singing and this song's franticness sets my nerves on edge, just like drinking too much coffee. There are some effective, yet simple, guitar solos, which means that all is not lost. However this is not a favourite.

The dreamy pace of "Beautiful One" is returned to for "Yalin", which conjures images of lazy, sunny afternoons, while the absence of a friend is felt strongly. It has the effortless pop sensibilities of Julianne Regan's Mice project. The lyric: "Thirty four and I'm only beginning to understand what all this is all about..." strikes a chord, though despite being that age I'm as much in the dark as ever. There's a strong emphasis on piano on this album, seldom more so than during download-single "Day After Yesterday". This is another languorous stroll. Its simplicity is a blessing, rather than a curse. Anneke laments: 'I don't suppose I could feel this way if I still had you by my side.' The trumpet solo is unexpected but thankfully doesn't take the song too far in the direction of Jazz.

"My Girl" starts like R.E.M, mid-paced with a bit of jangly guitar. It soon adopts a more sleek sound with some interesting 'funky' drumming. Elsewhere, the guitars of "Take Care Of Me" echo enjoyably. The plea contained in the title is enough to make a hard man crumble. There are even some elegiac 'ahhs' in the background, before the song disappears in the mist. The addition of male vocals and strings give "Ice Water" a different feel. Some heavy guitar soloing threatens to give the song identity, but there's little that makes it stand out.

Metal guitars are the unexpected introduction to the tweely-titled "You Are Nice". This and the following song are the rock mountain that forms the centre of the album, surrounded by the soft foothills of jazz-inflected pop. "You Are Nice" comes across as a spikier version of Garbage, not bad, but not the towering majesty one might hope for. "Tale of Grief" is hardly an inspiring title either, but the song slinks seductively. The ghost-playing-arpeggios-in-the-next-room spooky piano effectively supports some interesting vocal gymnastics from Ms Van Giersbergen. Just before the two minute mark guitars come crashing in and I'm thrilled by the roller coaster ride. This is the most vintage-Gathering sounding song on this album: one for the long-time fans.

"Come Wander" is another highlight, featuring just Anneke's voice and an acoustic guitar. This gives it an other-worldly, lullaby feel. If you liked the atmosphere of All About Eve's "Martha's Harbour" then this will appeal. I've never really watched classic 60s sci-fi/horror series The Twilight Zone but I'm tempted now I learn that that is from where this song came. The opening of next song "Sunken Soldiers" sounds loud and abrasive, but then anything louder than a whisper would. It soon calms down and the ponderous mood returns. The trumpets all stage a comeback and I start to imagine Anneke as the singer with a 40s jazz band, particularly with the war-inspired lyrics. "Lost and Found" is a quiet song, centred – at least initially - on Anneke's voice, an echo-laden guitar and piano. There are instances of interesting percussion, which stop the song from becoming nondescript. A gently plucked guitar takes the lead for the final song "Asleep". Once again the parent in me interprets this as describing the experience of watching your child sleep and marveling at their existence in the world.

If you like the quieter, melancholy, side of The Gathering, then Agua de Annique are for you. There are hints of this direction on The Gathering album "Home" particularly "Forgotten" and the title track. The loud guitars aren't neglected, but if you are expecting a return to the glory days of the Mandylion and Nighttime Birds albums you'll be disappointed. It seems that when many lead singers go solo, they decide to follow a jazz direction. This isn't quite the case here thankfully, but often the mood is more mellow than before. In any case Anneke has such a soul-enriching voice that I cannot help but be swept along with the tide of whatever musical genre she decides to dip her toe into.

I'm afraid it's all been heard before. The notes from their publicity company are quite misleading, labelling them as 'cross-genre' (I certainly don't think so). As the tracks go on, there is a little more variety on offer (some passages with quieter guitar, clean vocals etc.) but by and large this isn't the groundbreaking release that it claims to be. There isn't a great deal of variation between the tracks, although "Lapdance Girl" has some interesting choruses, even sounded very slightly like Fear Factory here and there - no bad thing in my book.

Overall, it's a little like Becoming the Archetype but not as inventive. That said, they can certainly play, and with a little more inspiration they could be worth revisiting.

There are occasional passages where a few shreds of talent peek through, but not many. Music which you cannot predict at all is every bad as utterly predictable music.

This is an EP trying to be way too clever - the band clearly think they are visionaries. Whether they are or not I have no idea, but certainly their music wouldn't lend credence to the theory.

It isn't entirely terrible - "Congratulations On Your Decision To Become A Criminal" contains some interesting quieter passages towards its end. Then the band ruin the mood with pointless, random screaming (ignoring whatever chords the guitar and bass are playing) in the second track.

"Rec – Error" starts intriguingly and then they start screaming again. It's not the worst thing I've ever heard but it's frustrating when a band try and splice together moods like this without really thinking about why they're doing it.

I get the impression this band are desperate to be Cave In, which they patently are not. There are many other bands out there that can capture the imagination with many fewer notes and much less desperate over-indulgence.

Prikosnovenie